convulse
5 synonyms and 2 antonyms for convulse, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To shake uncontrollably as your muscles jerk violently.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. verb
To shake uncontrollably as your muscles jerk violently.
“He realized she was crying. He could feel her body convulsing with little sobs and her cheek was wet where it brushed his.”
Opposites
2. verb
To throw something into chaos or disorder.
“For Lucifer, as Lord of Fire, was thought to suffer the most terrible pangs whenever the element of fire, over which he presided, was convulsed or agitated.”
Opposites
Etymology
Taken from Latin convulsus, the past participle of convellere ("to pluck up, dislocate, convulse"), from com- ("together") + vellere ("to pluck, pull"). It is a doublet of convel.
Full origin of convulse →